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The Murder of Anna Wiese | ||
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EVENING TIMES REPUBLICAN |
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 1894 | |
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HEADLINES APRIL 4, 1894 TAKING TESTIMONY A Jury Empaneled in the Bennett Murder Case Yesterday Afternoon Counsel Make Exhaustive Statements of the Case to the Jury Surveyor Bremner and Coroner David Testify for the State Today Lengthy Cross Examination of the Coroner - Facts of the Crime PROGRESS OF THE MURDER CASE Jury Secured, Opening Statements Made by Counsel and Taking of Testimony Begun Shortly after 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon the jury was completed to try the Bennett case. The personnel of the jury is as follows: John Ralston, John Diggin, R. Maddin, John Hogancamp, James Andrews, E. H. Newton, W. J. Clemons, S. P. Lusby, Howard Pyle, T. J. Shoemaker, J. J. Fullerton, M. E. Desch. The men comprising the jury are well known citizens of the city and county. They are men of more than ordinary intelligence, discrimination and judgment. It was hardly expected the panel would be completed as easily as it was. Some members of the venire were retained whom no one supposed either side would accept, not, however, because of incompetency, prejudice, or fear of favoritism, but because they already knew so much about this case. But the fact that such men were accepted is but another argument in favor of intelligent juries, no matter how well informed they may be upon current events. This jury is composed partly of business men but largely of farmers. MR. CARNEY'S STATEMENT OF THE CASE The statement of the case to the jury was immediately commenced. J. L. Carney, county attorney, opened on the part of the state. He used a plat to show to the jury the character of the country surrounding the scene of the murder. He shows it to be 219 rods 13 feet from the place of the murder to Bennett's house, in a southeasterly direction. He said: It will be shown that Miss Wiese left the Hill home at 10:05 p.m. and was murdered at about 10:15. Body was found by Russie, with the head lying south, with three large pools of blood near the body; that Perry Grey went to call Mr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett came to the door, but did not come out; that Arthur Sherlock, (her son by her first husband) had gone to Green Mountain to get the mail and had not returned home; that Mrs. Bennett was so excited before she knew what the news was that Mr. Bennett could hardly keep her in bed, and finally pushed her into the bed room and shut the door.
Isenhart became acquainted with Anna Wiese at Bennett's, and called on her several times, and finally their relations were cut off. This was done by defendant. Mrs. Bennett accused Miss Wiese of being of immoral character, and she was the only one that did so accuse her, and did all in her power to separate Isenhart and Miss Wiese. On the Sunday before the murder Miss Wiese was at Mrs. Bennett's and was in the kitchen, and Mrs. Bennett was in the parlor. Mrs. Bennett stated that she overheard a conversation between her son and Miss Wiese in which she was telling him that she had criminal connection with a certain young man. This statement Mrs. Bennett made before the murder. After the murder she stated that Miss Wiese did not come into the house, and that a casual conversation occurred; that Mrs. Bennett had a feeling of hatred toward Miss Wiese and so expressed herself before the murder, and after the murder changed her position and called Miss Wiese her good friend, and asked how could she do such a thing. Many things will be introduced in evidence that point to some one helping Mrs. Bennett commit the murder. It was possible that Miss Wiese and Arthur Sherlock met that evening on the road, and Mrs. Bennett knew they might and she had gone down to the road to see if they did so meet, and from that meeting arose the controversy that resulted in Miss Wiese losing her life. Finger marks of blood were found on the fence, showing the murderer escaped toward Mrs. Bennett's house. A button corresponding to buttons on defendant's dress was found about twenty rods from the scene of the murder towards Mrs. Bennett's. It will be shown that the hair found on the girl's breast and hand correspond very closely to Mrs. Bennett's; that two hairs larger than the others were found. On examination of specimens taken from Mrs. Bennett's head twenty-two hairs out of thirty-four were found split or frayed at the ends, and the peculiarity of the large hairs mingled with the similar ones was found in about the same proportion as in hair found in the hands of Anna Wiese. CASWELL'S STATEMENT FOR DEFENSE Mr. Caswell, on the part of the defendant, opened the case on her behalf. He said: The defendant was born in Kane county, Illinois, and is now 50 years old. She has worked in the field and that work has pretty nearly broken her down. It has been charged that she killed her first husband, and hid his bones in an old well. He died from consumption, in the southwest part of this county, and many witnesses live there who saw him buried. It isn't true that she is a strong woman or ever was. One hand she can not raise to her head. There was a friendship between the parents of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and the parents of Anna Wiese. These old people took the pains to come here to Marshalltown to tell us, after the murder, that it could not be, and they did not believe Mrs. Bennett committed the murder; that Mrs. Bennett was their friend and the friend of Anna. On the Sunday before the murder Anna did come to Mrs. Bennett's, met Mrs. Bennett in the yard and talked with her. She also talked pleasantly with Arthur Sherlock, and passed on. I don't believe any one will be heard to say that Mrs. Bennett ever detailed a conversation that occurred between Anna and young Sherlock that Sunday that was improper. Mr. and Mrs. Hooper, neighbors, were at Mr. Bennett's on Saturday before the murder, and gathered cherries. We will show that stains, if any, on the door, were from these cherries. It is charged that Mrs. Bennett could see Anna Wiese in Hill's house from Bennett's house and the yard surrounding it. You must climb twenty-five feet high on a windmill before you can see the ground around Hill's house. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett went to bed very early, and there remained and slept until they were aroused by Arthur Hill, saying Anna Wiese was murdered. Mrs. Bennett jumped out of bed and Mr. Bennett did tell her she had better dress, and not present herself in her night clothes. Arthur Sherlock went out to help hunt the murderer of Anna Wiese, and rode his horse all night. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett both got up and dressed. Her dress and shoes will be shown to the jury. The door casing and bars will be shown you. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett did not go to bed again that night, but watched for any clue possible for the murderer, watching the roads and surroundings. Mrs. Bennett went Sunday and examined the scene of the murder; went and looked upon the body of the murdered girl and showed no signs of guilt or agitation. There are many stains on the fences and other places, which will be shown to have come from the cattle in the yard that had been dehorned. |
Anna Wiese was a strong, athletic girl, and was about 5 feet 10 or 11 inches tall, and must have been killed by a man. One sweep of the knife nearly severed her head and was driven by a strong hand, and not the hand of a woman - not the hand of a weak and puny woman, weighing but 120 pounds, as is the defendant. She was attacked from the rear. What Horace Hill and others of the Hill family were doing that night I will ask you to closely watch in the progress of the case. We will call your attention to quite a number who might have committed the murder. I speak of this to show that others besides defendant might have committed this crime. Mrs. Bennett went to the funeral and acted perfectly natural, and showed no sign of guilt or agitation. We expect to show that Isenhart beat and bruised a colt and that Mrs. Bennett did tell Anna Wiese that a man who would abuse a dumb animal would abuse his wife, and all she said to Anna Wiese was intended for her own good and nothing else. We will be able to show that young Sherlock never went with Miss Wiese, and Mrs. Bennett never had any apprehension in that direction, as charged. A man was seen east of the scene of the murder about half a mile that night, running east. Who he was we may never know. He may have been the murderer. We will be able to show that the hair found in the hands of the murdered girl was her own hair, cut from her head by the assassin. But one of the hairs had a root attached to it. We will show that the hair was cut off and not pulled out. We will show beyond a doubt that the hair could not be the hair of Mrs. Bennett. We got some hair from the head of Miss Wiese. We will show that five out of seven of the hairs of Anna Wiese were frayed and split at the ends. One influential member of the grand jury that found the indictment was the father of a young man that had been arrested for committing this murder. Mr. Caswell grew graphic, almost tragic, at times during his recital of the crime, speaking with much fervor and at great length. He recounted rumors and alleged charges against his client that were not mentioned either in the indictment or the opening statement of counsel for the state. He did not finish speaking until about 7 o'clock, when court adjourned until this morning. TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS Court convened this morning with an increased attendance over yesterday. It was especially noted that there was a material increase in the number of ladies present. An order was made by the court, by request of the defendant, and agreed to by the plaintiff, that all the witnesses for both the state and defense be excluded from the court room during the trial. THE FIRST WITNESS - William Bremner was the first witness called on the part of the state. A large plat was produced, which the witness recognized as one that he had drawn to represent the place where the murder occurred and all of the surrounding country, particularly the farm and residence of C. A. Bennett, the house of Henry Russie, also the house of A. N. Hill and E. N. Hill. The witness was called only to explain the plat and give measurements from one point to the other considered important as bearing upon evidence that will be introduced by other witnesses. The house in which C. A. Bennett lives is 34 feet 5 inches east and west and 13 feet 3 inches north and south. There are two doors on the south side of the house, and it fronts to the south. In the east end of the house is a room 15 feet 3 inches long, east and west, and 15 feet 2 inches north and south. Adjoining on the north is a bedroom 7 feet 9 inches by 7 feet 3 inches; a hall leads to a room in the west end of the house which is 7 feet 9 feet 7 inches by 15 feet 7 inches; the stairway is north of the hall. Nothing outside of a description of the plat was elicited from this witness. Dr. W. F. David, coroner of Marshall county, was next sworn. He testified that he was called to hold an inquest on the body of Anna Wiese on the night of Aug. 26, 1893. Arrived there about 2 o'clock in the morning. It was a little cloudy when I arrived there; it was a moonlight night; found the body by the side of the road on the back, with the head to the south; examined the body where it lay; the clothing was not disarranged; the hair was somewhat disarranged; the first wound and the principal one that I noticed was on the neck - commencing on the right side - very deep and coming to the surface on the left side; there were a number of wounds on the breast and body; there was a deep wound on the right side, which entered the cavity of body; the right hand was bruised and there was a bruise on the head; there were no cuts in the hands. I found some hair in the left hand; the fingers of that were partly closed. I picked twelve or fifteen hairs out of the fingers and hand. I kept the hair about two weeks and then turned it over to the sheriff. I found a lock of hair on the left side, about eight inches below the top of the shoulder. I kept this hair separate from the other and delivered it to the sheriff; the cut on the right side severed all the arteries and veins on that side; the deep arteries on the left side were not cut. I think the victim could have moaned after the cut, but could not articulate; the wounds would produce death; Dr. Devine and myself held an autopsy on the body at the school house near Russie's on Tuesday following the murder; the night of the murder the body was taken to the house of Henry Russie and an inquest was held. I examined the wounds on the neck carefully at that time. I removed the garments to see if rape had been attempted, but she had not been outraged; there had been no tearing of her drawers or underclothes; the autopsy was held to ascertain if she was pregnant; she was not; when I first found the body the upper part of it to the waist was very bloody; all of the front part of the chest was bloody and some blood was on the dress skirt; her hands were bloody. At the autopsy I found two stabs on the right side, about an inch and a half apart; on the left side there were two or three wounds between the breast and left arm; the wounds on the left side were flesh wounds. The wounds were all stab wounds and were of about the same appearance. I saw a club at the place of the murder; think the sheriff had it; there were two bruises on the left side of the head; they were contused wounds; had not bled; they were the result of two blows; a blow from a club or any blunt instrument would inflict such a wound; there were no other wounds on the head. At a point nearly opposite the body I saw a stain on the wire fence; it was on the second wire from the top; the stain was about an inch long; the side of the road was grown up with weeds and grass; the largest blood pool was near the feet of the body and a little east. (Witness was shown club). This resembles the club I saw at the scene of the murder; I saw blood stains on the club; the cuts were made by a sharp instrument, and it might have been a jack knife; the wound on the right side of the neck commenced just under the ear and continued nearly to the left ear. There was another cut on the right side of the neck, about two inches long and about a quarter of an inch below the large or main cut. Sheriff Pence came after I did. The wound in the neck of Anna Wiese caused her death. My opinion is her throat was cut while she was standing. Cross Examination - There were probably twenty-five people at the scene of the murder when I arrived. I think her head had been moved before I got there. I so understood. As she lay on her back her hair was puffed out towards her shoulders. I could not see that her hair was cut; could not tell to certainty; the dress on her shoulder was cut; I didn't notice any of the ends of the hair being loose from the coil on the back of her head; the hair I found on her shoulder might have been cut from her head; my opinion at the time was it had been cut from her head; the hairs in her hand were grasped in the hand; I had to open it when I took them out; had to separate the fingers to get the hair out. (Witness was shown a book and asked to select a cut and illustrate how the cut was made, which he did). The cut was just above what is known as the "Adam's apple"; on the right side the stab extended nearly to the spine. The crowd at the scene of the murder when I went there was quiet but excited. It was requested that no one go into the field or onto the grass by the side of the road, and I saw no one go there until the body was removed, except the sheriff, and he went only to the fence. I did not hear anyone charged with the murder while I was there. Id did not remove the clothing where she lay. I helped put the body on a shutter and followed it to Russie's. I saw nothing that would indicate that there had been more than two instruments used in inflicting the wounds - probably a knife and a club. There was one wound on the right side of the head about one and one-half inches long where the skin was broken. There was but little evidence of a struggle; the grass was tramped down some for a space of about five or six feet; I did not see evidence of a struggle in the traveled road. Coroner Devine was still on the stand late this afternoon. Intense interest is manifest among the spectators, who throng the court room, corridors, stairways and even the rotunda of the courthouse.
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